The Taste of Betel Nut (Bing lang xue) (2017)

This Chinese film seems kind of student-like at times. By that I mean that it doesn't really have a sense of what it wants to be. There are some beautiful shots, but the style varies. Further, there is a compelling love triangle that is not properly resolved. The movie's resolution actually comes from an outside force, a side-plot that was rather insignificant in the grand scheme of the plot. I think that outside obstruction was an unnecessary diversion from the central plot, which is consequently left open. I'm not sure how to interpret the ending.

There is very little dialogue in the movie. The main protagonists live happily together. Nothing needs to be said. It is with the introduction of a third character, a disruptor in paradise, do we add dialogue. Funnily enough, their voices don't sound like they look. At times the movie seems a little cheesy, in a supremely Chinese way. I think Korean and Japanese films have found their way into the Western mainstream, but Chinese movies retain very Chinese elements that I think Western audiences don't appreciate. For example, the different styles of music from the cheesy loud pop to the deep heavy piano sound very Chinese. It's not a bad thing, but I think it is very distinctive.

We get a look at life in Hainan, allegedly the Hawaii of China. It is really pretty. It is a provincial side of China I do not often see. They oddly speak a combination of Mandarin and Cantonese. They have their own customs and dress.